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*This chapter too longer to write than I thought it would, but It’s a bit longer than the last one, so hopefully It’ll make up for the wait. I appreciate everyone for their support that they have given this story, and I would also like to thank the person who pointed out my mistake during the sign language scene in the previous chapter. I do strive for accuracy, so I appreciate you letting me know.
I hope you guys enjoy this installment.*
*****
It was just before one p.m. when Claudia and her mother pulled into the pow wow grounds. Even before they got out of the car, the vibration from the drums could be keenly felt, along with the sounds of people chanting and singing to the steady beat of the musical instrument. Eager to meet up with Kimi, Claudia got out of the car, and after impatiently waiting for her mother to finish touching up her makeup, she led the way to the cluster of tents and tipis where everyone was congregated.
“So what’s the plan?” Outfitted in a kaftan style tunic and black leggings that accentuated her long, slim legs, Mona followed her daughter with quick, purposeful steps. “You wanna stroll around for a bit together, or are you and Kimi meeting up right away?”
“Kimi’s been waiting half an hour for me to arrive, so I thought I’d meet up with her and we’d do our own thing.”
“You have any money on you?”
Brushing aside the flannel shirt that was tied around her waist, Claudia reached into her jeans, and after fishing out a couple of crumpled up singles, she realized she was low on cash.
“Not much. Think you could spot me a twenty?”
Mona reached into her purse, retrieved the bill, and placed it in Claudia’s hand. “What about your cell phone? You have that too?”
“It’s in my pocket,” Claudia said while patting the front of her jeans.
Now walking amongst the other people who were milling around the pow wow grounds, Mona and Claudia wove their way through the crowd of people, who ranged from those that were dressed in plain street wear, to the performers who were clad in their traditional regalia.
“So we’ll meet up a bit later?” Now itching to separate from her mother, Claudia began to slowly drift away.
Mona glanced at her watch before replying, “It’s five minutes after twelve. Let’s meet at the front entrance no later than four, okay?”
“Okay. See you then.”
Before Mona could speak another word, Claudia disappeared into the crowd. She made a beeline straight for the frybread booth, and on reaching the food stall, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and texted Kimi.
~ I’m here. Where are you?
Almost instantaneously, her phone vibrated with a response.
~ Helping my aunt out at her jewelry booth. Be back in fifteen minutes.
Slipping her phone back into her pocket, Claudia watched as an endless stream of attendees passed by. Having always been a fan of people watching, she studied the various faces in the crowd and noticed that although there were mostly Natives in attendance, there were also several dozen white people scattered about.
Due to her close proximity to the food stalls, she got several strong whiffs of fried food, but it wasn’t until a young girl strolled past her with a giant ice cream cone, that Claudia was tempted to satisfy her sweet tooth. She barely had time to contemplate satisfying that urge when a hand came to rest against the small of her back, and with a turn on her heel, she focused her eyes on the masculine form that was standing in front of her.
Instead of a face, her eyes came to land on a broad chest. The next thing she noticed were the two narrow braids that reached his hipbone, but before her gaze could drift any lower, she lifted her eyes to see a handsome face looking down at her. As soon as they locked eyes, her heart started working double time, beating so quickly she feared it would pop right out of her chest. The smile on his lips told her that he was pleased to see her, and with her own mouth curving upward, Claudia offered a greeting.
“Hey.”
“Hey, yourself,” Lucas said. “Nice to see you made it to the pow wow.”
“Well I’ve never been to one before, so I figured It’d be nice to see what it was like.”
“First time, huh?” The smile on his face went slightly crooked, as if finding amusement in her words. “What do you think so far?”
“I just barely got here a minute ago so I haven’t had the chance to check out a whole lot, but I am looking forward to the dance competitions.”
“You should check out the youth drum competition as well,” he said. “I’ll be one of the competitors.”
“Are you playing with a group, or on your own?”
“I play solo on a hand drum.”
“Very cool,” she said. “I had no idea you were a musician.”
“Been playing since I was nine.”
“Have you ever won a competition?” She asked.
“Yeah, a couple. Haven’t taken first place yet, though, so I’m hoping to make that happen today.”
“Well good luck, I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thanks.” He pulled his cell phone out of his jeans escort pocket to quickly glance at it before saying, “I better get back to the performer’s tent. There’s only a couple of hours left before the competition starts, so I better get in some last minute practice.”
“I’ll see you later, then.”
“Looking forward to it.” He gave her a wink before adding, “Catch you later, cutie.”
As he walked away, she followed him with her eyes, only allowing them to drift away once he’d been swallowed by the crowd. Although their time together had been brief, it left her feeling more than a little excited at the thought that they’d just had a somewhat meaningful conversation.
It certainly hadn’t bothered her that he had referred to her as a cutie, and as she recalled the flirtatious wink he had given her, a slight giddiness bubbled within her. She was still standing there reliving the moment when Kimi came into view, and with a smile on her lips, Claudia greeted her friend.
“Hi, Kimi.”
“Hey girl, what’s up?”
“Nothing, just waiting for you.” She affectionately bumped hips with her before falling into step so that they walked beside one another. “I just ran into Lucas.”
“Oh yeah? Give me the details.”
“Not a whole lot to tell, but he did wink at me and call me a cutie.”
“And what did you do?” Kimi asked.
“Nothing. He turned and walked away so I didn’t get a chance to flirt back.”
“Well if you see him again, make sure that Misty Isn’t around. I saw her talking to one of the fancy dancers, so wherever he is, she probably Isn’t too far behind.”
“Thanks for the heads up.” Claudia allowed her gaze to flit from booth to booth before leading Kimi towards a stall where a variety of jewelry was on display in glass cases.
“Speaking of Lucas, did you know that he’s performing in the hand drum competition?”
“Of course. He competes every year.”
“Is he any good?”
“One of the best. He’s well known on the reservation for his talent. His dad is a champion hand drum singer, so I guess the gift was passed down to him.”
“Interesting.” Spotting a pair of dream catcher earrings, she leaned over the glass display case to have a closer look. “I’ve been thinking about getting another hole in my ear. Think I should do it?”
“Sure, why not,” Kimi said while checking out a pair of dangle earrings that were crafted from glass seed beads. “I’ve been thinking about getting another hole myself.”
“We should go together,” Claudia said.
“Definitely,” Kimi responded. “But the closest place I know that does piercings is all the way in Cut Bank, so we’d need a ride out there.”
“No problem. I’ll get my mom to drive us.”
“Awesome, can’t wait.”
They checked out a couple of other booths before drifting towards a large, grassy area that was sectioned off with low gates, and along with a growing number of other attendees, Kimi and Claudia patiently waited for grand entry to begin. The light buzz of chatter only added to the anticipation that hovered in the air, but as the grand procession officially got underway, a hush fell over the crowd.
With the steady and powerful beating of a drum to accompany him, an elderly man entered the dancing circle. Held high in his fist was an eagle staff that represented the Blackfeet nation, and with a line of honored veterans following directly behind him, the elder made his way forward.
Flags that represented both the tribe and the country were carried in the procession, followed by the visiting dignitaries and other honored members before the men dancers entered the circle. Close on their heels and outfitted in elaborate regalia that matched the spirited movements of their traditional dance, were the women. Next to join the growing procession were the teenage boys and teenage girls, who led the way as the younger children followed behind.
Now filled with dancers that bobbed and stomped to the sound of a huge, beating drum, the arena was brimming with positive energy. Especially captivated by the fluid movements of the jingle dancers, Claudia watched as they swayed back and forth while lifting their feet in perfect time with the drum.
Wearing dresses that were adorned with rows of metal cones, the jingle dancers emitted a tinkling noise that reminded Claudia of rain on a tin roof. They moved in such a way that she couldn’t help but revere them, and found herself effortlessly mesmerized by the zigzag pattern of their steps.
So enchanted by the melodious dresses, she found it difficult to avert her gaze for even a minute. It wasn’t until the fancy shawl dancers came into her field of vision that she noticed how strikingly beautiful their regalia was, and with open admiration, watched as they maneuvered their shawls so that they swayed and swirled about their body.
With so many different dancers all performing various styles, Claudia’s attention was flitting from person to person. While some were wearing buckskin suits, other were clad in feather bustles and vibrantly colored escort bayan headdresses. But as her gaze came to land on one particular individual, her eyes focused intently and didn’t stray for even a moment.
Beautifully outfitted in a knee-length satin dress and an elegant purple shawl with long, flowing fringe was Misty, who wasn’t just moving with the tempo of the beating drum, but seemed to be floating. Claudia didn’t know whether it was the light and fast footwork that she made, or the motion of the shawl that mimicked a butterfly in flight, but Misty’s feet seemed to be hardly touching the ground at all.
Too into the moment to notice that Claudia was watching her, Misty jumped and spun around while displaying an intricate pattern of steps that even Claudia couldn’t help but appreciate. As Claudia’s eyes remained focused on Misty, so did Kimi’s, and with nearly identical expressions of admiration, the two girls watched on.
“I’ve gotta admit she’s pretty good,” Kimi loudly said so that she could be heard over the sound of the pow-wow drum.
“Yeah, she’s definitely got talent,” Claudia agreed.
Her eyes drifted down to the beaded moccassins that enclosed Misty’s feet, but before she could fully appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship, Misty danced away, losing herself in the crowd of performers. Only once the parade of dancers had exited the circle did the pow wow MC announce the start of the drum contest, and with eyes that were peeled for Lucas, Claudia waited for the contestants to appear. As they did, her eyes drifted from one person to the other until she noticed Lucas’s broad-shouldered frame drift into her line of sight.
“First to compete is Lucas Good Blanket,” the announcer said. “Lucas, please step forward and begin your performance.”
Pleased to see that he was up first, Claudia watched as he positioned himself in front of the microphone. Possessing a deer hide drum that was made from tanned buckskin, he stood tall and proud as he focused his gaze directly in front of him. Then, without a moment of hesitation, he began to strike the hand drum with a stick. Rather than pound the drum, he lightly tapped it along the rim, and in a voice that was both loud and strong, he began to sing a traditional Blackfoot song.
Utilizing his vocal cords so that his voice came out sounding high-pitched, Lucas sang in perfect unison with the beat. As the rhythm increased, he maneuvered the drumstick so that it firmly tapped the center of the drum skin, and with the upmost enthusiasm, he really let loose the full power of his voice.
Struck by the amount of emotion he put into the song, Claudia watched with an unwavering stare, studying not only the way that he held the drum in his hand, but also the movement of his mouth. Each beat of the drum was like a heartbeat, steadily rising in both volume and tempo. The sound was so powerful it almost seemed as if it had a life of its own, and each time the drum stick made contact with the stretched buckskin, Claudia was certain that she could feel it straight down in her soul.
She could tell from the look on Lucas’s face that he was fully in the zone, and although he was performing for hundreds of spectators, it was clear to see that he completely owned the grassy stage on which he was performing.
It wasn’t until her skin broke out in tingles that Claudia realized just how taken she was by the passion in his voice, and as the drumbeat gradually began to slow down, she found that her own heart followed suit. As the song came to an end, Lucas spoke a few words in Blackfeet, then bowed his head before walking away from the microphone. The crowd erupted into loud applause, and with an enthusiasm that surprised even herself, Claudia joined in.
The nine performers that followed Lucas were undoubtedly talented, but not one of them made the hairs stand up along the back of her neck. To her biased ears, Lucas’s competitors just weren’t on the level that he was, and as the final hand drummer completed their song, she watched the judges tally up the scores on their notecards.
After some time passed, the judges gestured to the MC, who was handed a sheet of paper with the name of the finalists on it. Numerous people in the crowd chattered excitedly as they waited for the results, but as the MC took his place at the microphone, they quickly fell quiet.
“First off, we’d like to thank each and every one of our contestants for sharing their talent with us today. Let’s show our appreciation, ladies and gentlemen.”
Along with hoots and hollers, the crowd broke out into applause before once again quieting down so that the MC could give the results.
“Third place winner and recipient of $100 goes to Keith Little Badger.”
“Yeah, Keith!” Somebody loudly called out from deep within the crowd, and as Keith walked forward to accept his check from the MC, several loud whistles and hollers came from the throng of spectators.
“Second prize winner and recipient of $300 goes to Lucas Good Blanket.”
Although disappointed bayan escort that he hadn’t won first place, Claudia was happy that he’d at least won something, and as she watched him receive his check, she joined in with the crowd as they clapped and cheered. After shaking hands with the MC, Lucas positioned himself next to the third place winner and watched on as the first place champion was announced.
“And now for the first place winner and recipient of the $500 grand prize…” With a pause that was clearly designed to build anticipation, the MC pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose before proclaiming, “Jesse Kipp.”
The burst of applause that followed the MC’s announcement nearly rendered Claudia deaf, and as she gazed at Kimi who was still by her side, she noticed that she was standing there with a stone faced expression. Not only was she not clapping, but her lips were tightly drawn. She stood there for a few more moments before gesturing for Claudia to follow her, then pushed her way out of the crowd as quickly as she could.
“Unbelievable. I can’t believe he won again,” Kimi said once they finally broke free from the throng of people and were able to walk side by side.
“Who?” Claudia asked.
“Jesse.”
Sensing that Kimi would continue, Claudia remained quiet.
“He wasn’t even that good. The only reason they gave him first prize is because he’s the tribal chairman’s son.
“Sounds like you’ve got bad history with this guy,” Claudia said before asking, “Ex boyfriend?”
Kimi nodded.
“How long have you guys been broken up?”
“Six months. But we sorta got back together over the summer, so technically It’s only been four.”
“Do you still like him?”
“No, not really. He’s totally cute and everything, but way too boring.”
Noticing that her friend seemed uncertain, Claudia decided to press her for more information. “So are you two done, or just taking a break from each other?”
“We’re definitely done.”
Now standing in front of the frybread booth, Kimi and Claudia took a moment to scan the menu before giving their orders to the woman behind the counter.
“I’d like an Indian Taco, please,” Claudia said as she placed a five dollar bill down on the counter.
“You want hot sauce with that?” Asked the woman as she rung up Claudia’s order.
“Sure.”
“And for you?” The woman asked while looking at Kimi.
“Frybread with honey and powdered sugar.”
The cashier took Kimi’s money, then called out the order to the cook, who was busily stretching out balls of dough into medium sized disks. With several people manning the booth, Claudia and Kimi didn’t have long to wait, and with plates of food in hand, they headed for a grassy knoll where a number of other pow wow attendees were sitting around enjoying their food. The girls took a seat on the grass so that they were sitting crossed-legged and opposite each other. Then with equal enthusiasm, they dug into their fried delicacies.
Just as delicious as it looked, Claudia’s Indian taco seemed to melt in her mouth. Not caring one bit if she looked like a pig, she immediately followed the first bite up with another while cradling the frybread so that the mélange of toppings didn’t spill out. While indulging in their respective meals, both Kimi and Claudia picked off of each other’s plate, and only once a few scraps of food were left, did they finally fall back into conversation.
“The thing about Jesse is, he’s great in bed,” Kimi said while looking into a compact mirror so that she could reapply her lipstick. And when I say great, I mean ridiculously good. But that’s about all we have in common.”
“Would you be open to dating someone new?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Having finished reapplying her lipstick, she was now retrieving an eyeliner pencil from her skull print purse. “Why?”
“Because I know someone who likes you.”
“Oh yeah, who is it?”
“Tristan.”
“Seriously?” The arch of her brows was followed by a smile that slowly curved her pink lips. “Isn’t he the guy you’re doing that English project with?”
“Yep.”
“And how do you know that he likes me? Did he actually come out and say it?”
“Yeah. He told me he’s been trying to get your attention for awhile, but that you haven’t seemed to notice him.”
“Kinda hard to when he never speaks,” she said.
“He talks,” Claudia rebutted. “He’s just a little shy.”
“Not a little, a lot. I shared a class with him junior year, and I swear to you he didn’t say a word the entire semester.”
“He talked to me. We had a full on conversation while he was driving me home.”
“He drove you home?”
“Yeah. My mom was late picking me up, so he offered to give me a lift.”
“What’d you guys talk about?” With eyeliner in hand, Kimi began touching up the rim of her lashes where the makeup had worn off.
“Just random stuff…” As her voice trailed off, she recalled the strange drawings in Tristan’s sketchbook, and also remembered the brief conversation they’d had about shadow people. She didn’t mention it to Kimi, though, out of worry that instead of finding it cool, she might instead be freaked out. “Anyways, he’s a really interesting guy. And I think you should give him a chance.”